Board adopts emergency ordinance requiring $5-an-hour COVID hazard pay for large grocery, pharmacy, janitorial and security workers

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on March 9 adopted an emergency ordinance requiring certain grocery stores, retail pharmacies and property-service contractors to pay eligible on-site employees an additional $5 per hour during the COVID‑19 public‑health emergency.

The ordinance, introduced by Board President Shamann Walton and co‑sponsored by several supervisors, applies only to grocery stores and retail pharmacies with at least 20 employees in San Francisco and more than 500 employees worldwide. The pay supplement covers employees who make $35 per hour or less (or $75,000 per year or less).

Supporters said the supplement recognizes frontline workers who continued to work throughout the pandemic while companies posted strong profits. President Walton summarized the measure at the start of the committee of the whole: “This emergency ordinance would temporarily require grocery stores, retail pharmacies, and janitorial and security contractors whose employees work on‑site at these locations to provide $5 an hour of hazard pay to employees who make less than $35 an hour or less than $75,000 a year.”

Supervisor Ronan, a co‑sponsor and one of the ordinance’s chief advocates, thanked grocery and drugstore employees for continuing to work through the pandemic. She told the board: “I look at grocery store workers and drugstore workers differently. You have changed, and getting a little bit emotional. I look at you and I see heroes and heroines every single time I go to the grocery store now because you stepped up for us in ways that I'll never forget.”

Union representatives and workers provided public comment in support. An essential grocery worker who identified himself as John Gomez told the board: “We've been at this since the beginning of the pandemic … The risk we face to ourselves and our families is, you know, we get very sick and if hospitalized, we could die. This hazard pay would go a long way.” UFCW Local 5 speakers also urged passage.

The board approved a clerical amendment to clarify the long title of the ordinance and then voted to adopt the ordinance as amended. The roll call vote was unanimous — 11 ayes, 0 noes. The ordinance was passed as an emergency measure, making the supplemental pay requirement effective immediately during the public‑health emergency.

Why it matters: The ordinance aligns San Francisco with other Bay Area jurisdictions that passed hazard‑pay rules and implements a temporary, citywide floor for hazard pay for specified workers at large chains and contractors. Supporters framed the measure as temporary compensation for sustained COVID‑related risk and as recognition of essential services performed during the pandemic.

Implementation and scope: The ordinance exempts small, independent retailers that do not meet the size thresholds. Employers may be exempted if they negotiate employer‑initiated hazard pay in a collective‑bargaining agreement. City staff and deputy city attorneys worked with sponsors and labor representatives on the final drafting.

Looking ahead: The ordinance passed unanimously as an emergency ordinance. The board did not set a firm sunset date in the text read at second reading; proponents characterized it as a temporary measure tied to the city’s COVID‑19 emergency. City departments and labor representatives will implement and monitor compliance and exemptions.